Judges Chapter 8
1 The men in Ephraim said to him,
“What have you done to us, not calling us when you went to fight Midian?” They were in animated contention with him.
2 He said,
“What have I done compared to you? Isn’t the gleaning of grapes in Ephraim better than the vintage in Abiezer? 3 God delivered Oreb and Zeeb to you. What have I done compared to that?”
They calmed down.
4 Gideon and the 300 crossed the Jordan, exhausted from chasing. 5 He said to the men in Succoth, “Give loaves of bread to the ones with me. I’m afraid they’re worn out, and I’m chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”
6 The officials in Succoth said, “Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in hand that we should feed your army?”
7 Gideon said, “All right, then. When Yahveh delivers them to me, I’ll flail you with wild briers and thorns.” 8 He went on up to Penuel and asked them the same thing, and they answered the same way.
9 He told them, “When I come back after peace is restored, I’ll tear down this tower.”
Jud 8:1-9
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with about 15,000 men, what were left from the entire army from east of the Jordan; 120,000 swordsmen had fallen. 11 Gideon went up the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and caught them in a surprise attack. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled. Gideon chased them and captured them and sent the whole army into a panic.
13 When he went back from the battle by the ascent of Heres, 14 he captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. He wrote down the names of the 77 officials and elders in Succoth. 15 Gideon came and said, “Look, Zebah and Zalmunna that you taunted me about, ‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in hand that we should feed your exhausted men?’ 16 He disciplined the city elders with wild thorns and briers from the countryside. 17 He tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the men in the city.
18 He asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?”
They answered, “Every one of them was like you, like a king’s son.”
19 He said, “They were my brothers, my mother’s sons. As sure as Yahveh lives, if you had let them live, I wouldn’t have killed you.”
20 He told Jether his firstborn to get up and kill them.
But the young man was afraid to draw his sword because he was young.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Be a man. Come do it yourself.” Jud 8:10-21
Gideon got up and killed them and took the crescents off their camels’ necks.
22 Then the Israelites said to him, “Be our ruler, you, your son, and your grandson as well. You’ve delivered us from Midian.”
23 “I won’t be your ruler. My son won’t either. Yahveh will be your ruler. 24 Let me ask you for one thing, though. Each of you, give me the earrings from your spoil.”
25 “We’ll be glad to.” They spread out a cloak and every man tossed on it the earrings from his spoil. 26 The gold earrings weighed 50 pounds 1700 shekels of gold—plus the camels’ crescents. 27 Gideon made an ephod out of it and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Israel prostituted themselves with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. 28 So Israel subdued Midian; they didn’t threaten anymore. The land had peace for 40 years during Gideon’s life.
29 Jerubbaal/Gideon went and lived in his own house. 30 He had 77 sons from many wives. 31 A concubine of his in Shechem also had a son he named Abimelech. 32 Gideon died at a good old age, and they buried him in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah among the Abiezrites.
33 As soon as he died, the people went back to worshiping the images of Baal. They made Baal-berith their god. 34 They didn’t remember Yahveh their God, who had rescued them from their enemies in every direction, 35 or show kindness to Jerubbaal’s family in return for everything he’d done for Israel. Jud 8:22-35